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Green Bay - The auction was finally over. An unprecedented week of signings and cuts and madness for the NFL finally gave way to actual training camp.

Here in Green Bay, the drama centered on James Jones. The wideout never landed the bank-breaking contract he desired, the Packers re-signed him and - at that moment - the challenge began. Instantly, Green Bay's offense became the Miami Heat without the nonsense.

Jermichael Finley is back. Ryan Grant is back. Jones returns. Two promising rookies are in the mix. How on earth does everybody stay happy?

One day after Jones was back, Jordy Nelson laughed and shook his head.

This dilemma, more than anything, will determine if the Packers repeat. Defining roles on offense. Harnessing egos. With a busload of players returning from injured reserve, many positions on the roster are at max capacity.

More specifically, quarterback Aaron Rodgers has an all-you-can-eat buffet of options. The identity of the offense is bound to evolve. The four-wide sets of last season suddenly welcome an actual rushing attack and a next-generation talent at tight end.

Making only $1.2 million this year, Finley will expect a huge pay raise next off-season. Same for Nelson, who's earning just $565,000 in the final year of his rookie deal. Urgency will be high. When one formula works, some players are bound to get squeezed out. Good luck, No. 12.

Keep an eye on fifth-rounder D.J. Williams, a rookie who starred early on at camp. And in the backfield, running backs Grant, James Starks and Alex Green will all demand touches.

Meanwhile, across the league, foolish spending was the norm during July's hell week. Starving for an ounce of the Packers' dynamic on offense, several teams displayed zero fiscal sense.

The Seattle Seahawks showered Sidney Rice, a classic one-year wonder, with a five-year, $41 million deal. Diminutive, declining Santana Moss received $15 million over three seasons, $6 million guaranteed. The Buffalo Bills, whose offense has been DMV-exciting for a decade, inked Brad Smith to a four-year, $15 million contract . . . to be a Wildcat quarterback.

OK, maybe we shouldn't blame these teams for such strange stimulus plans. This is a pass-first league. They felt no choice but to splurge. They needed to do, um, something to keep up.

But here in Green Bay, Ted Thompson continues to keep his treasure chest locked. Through the off-season, Jones' departure felt like a foregone conclusion. The Packers general manager shaved cap everywhere he could, let Jones test the market and then re-signed him.

Thus, on paper, it'll be impossible for many pundits to pick against the Packers. The rich got richer. Now, it's up to Rodgers and head coach Mike McCarthy to make it happen, to somehow maintain the homeostasis that made last year's team so special.

They must push the right buttons. A year ago, Finley was overemphasized, and the Packers stumbled out of the gate. Jennings was lost in the shuffle, a decoy.

Finley suffered a season-ending injury, Jennings had 761 yards and eight touchdowns over the next seven games and golf ball-sized rings soon followed.

This year, a balance must be found. Remember, Finley came into the league cocky, with a sense of entitlement. Suppressing this dark side during a contract year could be tricky.

So far, Finley's saying the right things. On day one of camp, the tight end said he's been training "24/8."

"I took the first flight out," Finley said. "I got here, got settled and I'm feeling great. I'm in the best shape of my life, mentally and physically, so I'm ready to go."

Count on Rodgers relying on a "whoever's open" protocol. The last two seasons, he rarely made bad decisions. Look no further than his 31-of-36 passing dissection of the Atlanta Falcons. Against the NFC's best regular-season team, he was a puppeteer. He embarrassed them.

Still, at some point, somebody won't get the attention he craves. Somebody will be rendered a role-player or worse. It's inevitable and happens to so many teams trying to repeat as champions across all sports. The Super Bowl must serve as the muzzle.

Nelson isn't stressing out. He's not sure what his role will be or how he'll be used.

If the victories continue, it won't matter.

"If it does come to a problem, we'll have to deal with it as a team," Nelson said. "But with the character we have, we'll just play football."

Send email to tdunne@journalsentinel.com.Follow him on Twitter @TyDunne

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